The Big Picture

Random Images From Oct 07.

2007-10-25T16:47:00.000Z

Portrait of Fiona.

Portrait of Naomi.

2007-10-25T16:44:00.000Z

Church Crowd.

2007-10-25T16:43:00.000Z

Beach & Boat Wreck.

2007-10-25T16:42:00.002Z

Strike a Pose.

2007-10-25T16:42:00.001Z

Crazy Irish Violinist.

2007-10-25T16:39:00.000Z

Getting Ready.

2007-10-25T16:38:00.000Z

Dancing Bride In Sepia.

2007-10-25T16:37:00.000Z

Backlit Dress In Sepia.

2007-10-25T16:32:00.000Z

Dress Silhouette.

2007-10-25T16:05:00.000Z

Petals.

Some Black & White.

2007-09-24T20:49:00.002Z

Not a Wedding Shot.

2007-09-20T17:01:00.000Z

This image of an old, "sea dog", was taken by my brother.
The old guy was coming off a pier somewhere in Scotland and I just think that he has really great character in his face and so I thought I would share it.
For the photographers out there the data is:
Camera: Finepix S5 Pro. 1/180 sec@ F7.1 with a Nikkor 70-200 VR. Focal distance is 150mm.

Another face with some character, this old lady was
overcome with emotion during the speeches at a relatives wedding. I love capturing those moments and it's one of the things that wedding photographers are always on the lookout for.
Images like this though; very rarely make the final album.
Camera: Nikon D2H. Nikkor 80-200 @ F2.8. 1/60 sec. Focal distance was 135mm.

Some New Stuff.

2007-09-20T12:01:00.001Z

This image was taken at the back of the church where this man was sitting away from the main guests as the little guy was a bit rowdy.

I like this shot of the alter boy standing in the door frame. It was a grab shot on the way to sign the register with the camera at knee height.

Trashing The Dress.

2007-08-30T11:49:00.000Z

I have been asked over the last year or so a couple of times, if I would do a, "Trash the Dress", session with the bride and groom but I have always been reluctant.

I was of the opinion that not many people would be willing to break with convention when it came to their wedding garments and would prefer to shut it away in a box for the benefit of it being used in years to come by a beloved daughter.

The whole idea has been around for some time and it even has a dedicated place on the web, here. I personally don't know where the idea came from but would be little surprised if it came from the USA or Australia, since both places, in my opinion, are the most progressive and industry changing countries on the planet when it comes to wedding photography.

When I thought about it though, it seemed a natural extension to shooting weddings the way we now do.

Gone forever are the images associated with the Monty Zucker school of wedding photography and as much as the great man was an inspiration to thousands over the years, times and tastes have moved on, with the likes of Yervant, Joe Buissink and Jeff Ascough, taking centre stage.

As much as the above mentioned are very different in approach and style they all share one thing in common: they are ambassadors for the, "here and now", within the industry.

Yervant in particular has gone further, (in my opinion), than most in changing the way we shoot and the way the final product is presented. Along with the likes of, Jerry Ghionis, and the young and extremely talented Ryan Schembri, have changed just about every aspect of the business into a veritable artform.

Without people like the above, wedding photography would still be the, "arse end", of the business.

So this is my third, "Trash the Dress" session and I must admit that it's a lot of fun at the same time as producing images that you just can't do, (for obvious reasons), on a wedding day.

This young couple had a great time during the shoot, as did I, and I think they will like some of the images from the day. Something different and a great end to a nice dress.

Shooting on the beach.

2007-07-04T15:12:00.000Z

Click on image to view full size.

Having crossed this planet filming for the making of, MOWP, and MOWP 2, I have on a number of occasions had the opportunity to film some of the best in the industry shoot on beach locations. Predominantly though this has been in places where said locations have been on the doorstep, (so to speak), and have therefore been accessible to both photographer and client.

Strange though it may seem, it is easier for a photographer to meet up in this kind of location in Australia or in Los Angeles than it is in the UK.

That said: I have the opportunity to shoot on a great beach most every wedding that I do.

Ireland,( where I am based), is a small place and on the west coast, beaches are blessed with the white coral sands carried on the gulf stream and washed ashore from North to South and since Ireland is a small island the furthest you can be away from one is about an hour and a half drive.

They do however come with their own set of problems. Glaring white coral sand can play havoc with meter readings not to mention the wind blowing sand all over the place, so watch out if you have to change lenses lest your sensor ends up with more spots than a cheetah with chicken pox.

Better off to take two bodies already locked and loaded with the glass that will see you through the beach shoot.

The weather on the day also plays a big part in the type of images you may end up with and although this is true wherever your location is, it seems that the weather can make an even bigger difference when working on a beach. Apart from the obvious like wet sand not blowing in your face, the light can change quite dramatically between bouncing off the sand as well as the sea itself.

I do,(despite the problems), like the prospect of beach shots; it makes a change from the church and the reception venues and the photographer has licence to be a little more creative with the client and with various backgrounds too, be it the beach itself the sea or sky.

On the last beach shoot I did, we even managed to talk the car driver into taking the car onto the sand.

Portraiture.

2007-01-31T19:10:00.001Z

I like to shoot portraiture with natural window light.
Particularly with kids, (If I can get them to stay still long enough), and in their own environment where they can be at ease in front of the lens.

Taking time to shoot them at play too is, I feel, a good way to catch some nice imagery and I will often take my camera to the beach to shoot kids.

With brides too, I very often go outside when they are at a window and shoot in from the outside. I get a lot of really nice casual images this way.

The sixth image down contains some text which I will use sometimes if I think the image will benefit from it's look.
It very often adds a new dimension to a wall hung photograph. It doesn't always work but in this case I think it looks well with the added text.

(Click Thumbs To Enlarge Images).

2007-01-31T13:15:00.000Z

Well it's the end of 2006 and nearly the end of jan 07 and I have just found some time to add some new stuff to my blog.

It was a busy 2006, what with trying to finish, "The Masters Of Wedding Photography 2" DVD www.mastersofweddingphotography.com and have it finished now. It will be available from the site as from the end of Feb 07.

Apart from that, I am still shooting anything that moves and drive my kids crazy on a daily basis, whenever a spray of nice light catches my attention.

I am also this year, looking at premises in the local area for my new studio so that should be quite interesting and I will post some images when I have done all the work and found the perfect place.

New Wedding Images. (Click The Images).

I am available to shoot weddings and portraiture throughout the UK and Ireland.
Website: www.thebigpicturephotography.co.uk